Hey!

Janmashtami as you know is the Birthday of Lord Krishna.
Bal-Gopal ji :)

I'm not really religious, cuz my mum/dad never enforced anything on me. But whenever mum asks me to fast or pray, i do it without question.

This is pretty much my first ever Janmashtami. Earlier it just used to be a day I wouldn't have to go to school!

Hostel is so much a melting pot of all cultures!
We celebrate Ramzaan, Baisakhi, Pongal and Durga pooja!

Girls keep "Saavan ke Somvar" ke "vrat" (fasts) so that they get awesome grooms :D

So today we had a lot of flowers and a little jhoola(Swing) on which a tiny baby God rested that was made by one of our very capable cooks at hostel!

Lots of songs, and an Aarti later, we had prasad distribution and then a quick photography session.
(We are girls after all :))

I wore a bright pink kurta and a dark blue salwar :) All things bright and beautiful types :D

I even sang an Aarti, although I didn't know it in its entirety :P

But it was realllllly enjoyable! Now ill run, we gotta go give the swing a little swing!
Happy Janmashtami to you all!

I was just talking about Sadness, Despair and Pain a few hours ago.

Little did I know that I would open up facebook and scroll down the news feed and come across a really shocking post.

Social rules are so vague.

We mourn our close ones, but what about those, whose lives we touch for a fraction of the time we do for our friends?

Those people who fall into the category "Acquaintances"?

The post I'm talking about is the death of someone I knew in a similar manner.
As he was my (then) boyfriend's real close friend.

We must've spoken on the phone a few times. He was a really chummy sort. But that was the extent of our interaction.

Its been a long time since I spoke to my ex. We do keep in touch, but its in a very casual manner. But he's someone I truly respect. We've both matured now. He has a special place in my heart that is immovable.

And today when I spoke to him, the pain he had to go through simply rent my heart.

My (ex) friend was supposed to be in the car with him. And he simply left early and was spared. He's hurt as hell. But I wish him all the strength and fortitude to come through this.

Was it right?
No.

Snatching away someone so cruelly.
Snuffing a young life out like a candle.
No.


His parents are distraught. His brother who was with him in the car, survived. Should we be thankful to God for this?

Its something I hope nobody has to go through.

Please pray for his soul and his family's.

Hey!

I don't think this post will have the same up-beat flavor as it usually does. Maybe because I'm swamped with work, or that I am feeling a little out of sorts. Blame the sluggish weather :(

I was sitting in one of the last lectures of the day, ESS as we abbreviate it.

The teacher had just started her lecture and as this is the part that requires minimal attention, I was conserving it and thinking about something else.

As I love graphs, My chart:


And I was thinking about some dark elements in my life.
Its so funny.

These objects sort of have a living force.
The more you think about them, the more energy they gain.
The more powerful they become, the harder it is to get out of their clutches.

It was then that the teacher asked me a question.

It shook me out of my reverie. Just cut short the beginning confusion.  :)

I answered it correctly.

Probably some parallel part of my thinking process was still connected to the present.

Now, a few hours later, when I think about it, would I have fallen prey to misery and darkness?
Given in to the cloud of sadness that was beginning to descend on me?

I hope not.

But I was brought back to humbling reality instead. I have to study :) I have a life to live. A life that is tugging me into the present.

The Past is dead, and I should let it stay that way.

One of my favourite webcomics!

Not mine!

• Dear Hostel-dweller.

I completely understand the predicament you are in.
Clean, ironed and sweet smelling clothes are a rarity at hostel.

Those who can actually maintain a clean wardrobe are Gods. Bow to them.

So I have a hack for you.

You, yes you over here, can actually achieve this.

Its damn simple.

• Just wash the clothes that day itself.
• Dont pile up clothes.The mess won't magically disappear. It'll just tire you.
• Put in 2 spoonfuls of washing powder.
• Fill the bucket with water. Make a lot of bubbles!!!!
• Put all the clothes into a bucket after checking that the colours don't run. *
• Make sure you're alone.
• Now stand in the bucket. Grip a tap. (I'm not mad)
• And do chap chap in the water!
• Yup!
• You heard me right! Just stand in it and bash the hell out of your clothes by stomping on them!
• Exercise plus Clean Clothes!

Sure test of colours that run : Wet the suspicious article and then squeeze the water out of it. Watch the colour of the water. If it doesn't look coloured, chill. If it does, then you and that cloth have to have a private meeting. (Just wash it separately dude!)

Best of luck!

Disclaimer: All the views expressed are solely mine. Just like my future boyfriend's clothes.


I love the way men dress.
Especially in Pinks and Mauves!
(I know you're nodding in agreement as you're reading this!)


"Clothes maketh a man" or don't they?


Lets face it.
Most of our(girls) clothes are restrictive and figure hugging. :(

• Skinny jeans.
• Tanks
• Even the tees we wear are cut in a curve. Not straight in the guy-ish sort of way!
• Ditto for sleeves! They're always 3 inches shorter than a mans!
  

• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup Maida/All purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Atta (If unavailable substitute with all purpose)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 cup Chocolate chips

 Method

• Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl over some warm water.
• As soon as it becomes fluffy-ish, remove from the Bain-marie(Method of placing something over warm water to melt it)
• Crack an egg into it and add the Essence. Mix.

 Mix well and chill the mixture for 10 mins.
In the meantime, Preheat the oven at 200`C.


 After taking it out of the fridge, take some time admiring your handiwork.  :D

 Scoop it up with a wet spoon and place little blobs on the oven-safe tray.

 Shut into oven for 10-12 minutes at 200`C. They shall be soft when done but will harden as they cool. They should be golden brown. Take care that they don't burn!























Voila! Easy peasy!
Cool before eating!

P.S. I used leftover chocolate bars cut into small pieces(see image above). Also as you can see, my cookies melted and stuck together. But I kept my calm and the moment they cooled, they could be broken into smaller pieces. :D


So here they are!The easiest Chocolate Chip Cookies! Tell me how they turned out :)


Happy Baking 
Aradhna

Something I got off google.

 If you, like me are a chocolate-lover, you shall understand the predicament I am in.

With every trip abroad, come kilos of chocolates.

Slabs.
Chips.
Nougats.
Lindts.
Whites.
And anything you can imagine.

I should probably get myself checked for my Chocolate - Hoarding tendencies. :(

But I had a brain-wave today!

I had become pretty depressed after opening the door to my freezeer and finding it chock full of Chocolates.
But as I'm returning to hostel tomorrow and I needed some comfort food,
Bingo!
Chocolate chip cookies came to my head!

A better marriage of two ideas has never been made :D

The haze surrounds the castle of my dreams. Yet, its the sun I see.

Play peek-a-boo with me.

The blaze is calm, Its a silent dusk. See you again, I must.

Hey!
As I am home for this long weekend, I obviously can't resist cooking :P

The recipe shall follow soon !




Till then, some Nain-sukh-prapti for you
Lots of love!
Aradhna

P.S. Click to enlarge!

I looted my bros of some 10000 in cash :D

I should be a Loan Recovery Agent.
Hauling in the green.

:D
*evil*

You guessed right!

I am soooo loaded with the dough today :D

I should quickly make a list of the ways I can blow it now ;)

Poor bhaiyyas..

I loveeee Rakhi!

Please don't steal my pictures! :)

What you need:

• A cup full of good quality pasta (boiled)
• A cup of red/green/yellow bell peppers.(Blanched)

I pass this General Store on my way to my coaching class. And being a hosteler, I do require the odd shampoo, chips, pen, pencil etc.

The guy at this shop is quite stingy with money.
For example, If I buy 10-15 things, and the total is 303 rupees, he will take exactly 303 from me.
Not one paisa less.

This kind of thing irritates me cuz I really don't carry change around and have to buy a toffee or two that I really don't need in order to round off the total.

The man at the counter never gets up to get something. He just sits there keeping sums.

There are two young boys who work there. They are his sons.

Many a times I'm in a hurry and sometimes have to repeat my order. Once I even (albeit a bit rudely) told them to hire more people to help, cuz they were clearly unable to handle so many people at once.

Today I was at the shop again.
Love it or hate it, You must do business with them :)

I saw one of the sons carrying his dad on his shoulders and making him sit in his corner.
Thats when realization dawned on me.

That "stingy" shopkeeper no longer had use of his legs.
He had to be carried around like one of the sacks of rice that lie in his shop.

He had the patience to wait. To wait to be bathed. To be taken to the loo. To wait for doing the most basic of tasks that we do.

To move.

And I would find the 15 minute wait hard.

We've all become so accustomed to running. Haven't we?

A post on some shopping I've done Coming Soon!

Stay connected :D

"The Obama administration reacted with indignation, noting that the company had made a significant mathematical mistake in a document that it provided to the Treasury Department on Friday, overstating the federal debt by about $2 trillion."




Doesn't this sound like an errant school boy's plea after seeing the results of a test?
That "Ma'am, there must be some calculation mistake! I have done every question correctly!"


About time we focused on Emerging Markets.

Climb the stairs to push open the door.
It says Room no. 4.

Find a seat under the teacher's nose,
Or else, surely, Ill doze.

Quant or LRDI,
looks the same to the un-trained eye.

Some scratch their heads or stare glassy-eyed,
Some stare at girls, or just while away their time.

I'm like the Tiger pouncing at its kill,
Thats only in the English class, my friend.

As subdued as a cow,
Through endless fields of numbers, I try to plough. :(

The clock strikes six,
And I run out for my daily fix.

Yup.
An espresso shot from the nearby Cafe,
Reanimates me from the dead.

:D

Ants ate up the biscuits that were lying in my cupboard.


The box had been relegated to some far off corner of my cupboard. Had been stationary for a while.


I sleep, hence I'm stationary too.


So if one day I sleep for too long, will I be waking up to find missing chunks off my body?


:P

• Mumma's unconditional love. Need I say more?
  
• Hurting people at times and expecting them to heal on their own.
  
• Papa's long lectures, that have actually made me what I am.
  
• My brother's antics. In a few years he'll be old and boring. I'll miss it all then.
  
• Money.
  
• Time and Energy.
  
• My health.